Environmental comparison of dry and hybrid condensing systems in concentrating solar power tower plants

This study presents a comprehensive environmental assessment of hybrid and dry condensing systems in central tower Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants. Using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, the research analyses two optimized configurations based on the recently constructed Redstone CSP plant in South Africa. The study evaluates their environmental impacts, focusing on climate change and water use categories, while also optimizing operational parameters. The LCA results indicate that the dry system configuration significantly reduces water consumption, with 5.1 l/kWh compared to 49 l/kWh for the hybrid system. Although the hybrid configuration generates slightly more energy (582 GWh/year) than the dry configuration (574 GWh/year), the dry system performs better in terms of climate change impact, emitting 6.22 g CO₂/kWh compared to 7.96 g CO₂/kWh for the hybrid system. These findings suggest that the dry condensing system is a more environmentally sustainable option, particularly in water-scarce regions, despite a marginal reduction in energy output. The study underscores the importance of optimizing CSP plant configurations to achieve a balance between energy production and environmental sustainability.